Ophthalmic mounting and method of attaching same



. 28, 1937. e. A. ELLESTAD 2,103,523 I OPHTHALMIC MOUNTING AND METHOD OF ATTACHING SAME Filed NOV. 5, 1956 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 28, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 'GPHTHALMIC MOUNTING METHOD OF ATTACHING SAMIE Gerhard A. Ellestad, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York 7 Application November 5, 1936, Serial No. 109,360

4 Claims.

This invention relates to ophthalmic mountings and more particularly it has reference to methods and'means for attaching rimless mount ings to ophthalmic lenses. 7

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved ophthalmic mounting and method and in the methods of constructing, arranging and combining them, all as will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing: r

1 is a fragmentary view showing a front view of a mounting embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectional view of same.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of same.

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating a step in the method of attaching the mounting to the lens.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modified form of finishing cap.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of a modified form of strap.

Fig. 7 is a rear view of same.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the drawing wherein I6 indicates, generally, an ophthalmic mounting having a strap i I positioned against the front surface of the lens E2. The mounting Ill further embodies a shoe portion I3, adapted to extend along the edge of the lens, and a short extension Ii which engages the rear surface of lens I2. A bridge I5 or the usual endpiece or box stud may be secured, as

by soldering, to the mounting as will be well understood by those skilled in' the art.

The strap I I has, on its inner face, a recess I6 having a narrow mouth II which is positioned in communication with the opening I8 in lens I2. The inner face of strap II is also provided with a groove I6 which is in communication with the hollow cap or shell 22. The shell 22 has a narrow mouth 23 so that the fusible material, when hardened, is firmly anchored within the shell 22.

The fusible element 20 may be formed of any suitable material having a melting point which is preferably slightly above the boiling point of water so that the heat required to render the material fusible will not be great enough to harm the lens or mounting; The material may be either metallic or non-metallic. A metal alloy having the proper melting point is quite satisfactory. The material, when in a molten state, will substantially fill the lens opening [8, the recess I6 and the groove I9 and also the shell 22 so that upon cooling the structure shown in Fig. 2 will be provided. The mounting is thus secured to the lens by the element 20 which is',in effect, a rivet with enlarged heads which have been molded in situ.

A method of attaching the mounting to the lens is illustrated in Fig. 4. The lens I2 is positioned in the mounting with the opening I8 in alignment with the mouth of recess I6. The fusiblevmaterial, in the form of a rod or wire 2|], is placed within the opening I8 with one end resting in the recess l6 and the other end projecting above the lens, as shown in Fig. 4. The shell 22 is placed on the upper end of rod 20. Suflicient heat is then applied to the mounting by any suitable means so that the member 20 is rendered fluid and flows into groove I9, recess I6 and opening I8. As the member 20 melts the shell 22 moves down towards the lens surface so that the molten material fills the shell and any excess runs out under the shell onto the lens surface where it hardens and may be readily removed. The amount of material in member 20 must, of course, be sufiicient to fill the opening I8, recess I6, groove I 9 and shell 22. In Fig. 5 I have shown a 'modified form of shell 22 having an internal 1 projection 24 with an enlarged head which becomes anchored to the fusible material 20 as will be evident from the drawing.

The modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 embodies substantially'the same structure as the mounting shown in Figs. 1-3 with the exception that instead of the short extension I la rear modified mounting can be attached to the lens by the method illustrated in Fig. 4.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided an improved mounting and method of attaching same to a lens. The shell or cap 22 may be omitted but it facilitates the formation of the enlarged head on the fusible member and also serves to cover the fusible plug and so enhance the appearance of the mounting. Various modifications can obviously be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a strap positioned on one face of a lens having an opening, anchoring means on said strap opposite and in communication with said opening, and a mass of fusible material filling said opening and having an integral portion secured to said anchoring means, said material also having an enlarged head portion contacting the other face of said lens, and a hollow shell substantially covering and anchored to said head portion, said shell being structurally independent of said mounting.

2. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a strap positioned on one face of a lens having an opening, said strap having on its inner face a recess opening into said opening, a mass of fusible material filling said opening and having an enlarged head portion in said recess and another enlarged head portion positioned against the other face of the lens, and a member anchored solely to and substantially covering said lastnamed head portion.

3. An ophthalmic mounting comprising a pair of straps positioned, respectively, on the opposite faces of a lens having an opening, one of said straps being imperforate and having on its inner face anchoring means in communication with said opening, the other strap having an aperture which is positioned opposite and is substantially larger than said opening, and a mass of fusible material for securing the mounting to the lens, said material substantially filling said opening and having an integral portion secured to said anchoring means and also having an enlarged head portion contacting one face of the lens, and a hollow shell anchored to said head portion, said head portion being positioned within said aperture and being spaced from the walls of the aperture.

4. A method of attaching to a lens having an opening, an ophthalmic mounting having a strap provided with a recess which comprises placing the mounting on the lens with the recess in communication with the opening, placing a plug of fusible material in the opening with one end of the plug resting in the recess, placing on the other end of the plug a hollow shell having a diameter greater than that of said opening and applying suificient heat to melt said plug so that the material of the plug will substantially fill the recess, opening and shell and then cooling the assemblage.

GERHARD A. ELLESTAD. 

